State grants for school libraries

Published: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:45 p.m. CDT

Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded Fiscal Year 2013 School District Library Program Grants totaling almost $1.4 million to 642 Illinois public school districts. Nearly 1.7 million students served by school library media programs will benefit from the grants.

“As a former public school teacher and administrator, I know our school libraries are so important in helping students learn and prepare themselves for the future,” White said.

“Several studies in recent years have shown that students perform better in the classroom in school districts that have strong library media programs. Illinois was the first state to implement a school district grant program, and I’m pleased that we can continue to provide school libraries with some of the financial resources they need to produce well-educated students.”

Locally, grants of $735.50 were awarded to Hiawatha Dist. 426 and Indian Creek Dist. 425; a grant of $1,411.50 was awarded to Genoa-Kingston Dist. 424; a grant of $2,846.25 was awarded to Sycamore Dist. 427; and a grant of $4,361.25 was awarded to DeKalb Dist. 428.

Grants were awarded based on a formula of $.75 per student, with a minimum grant award of $735.50. Grants can be used for things like the new library materials, subscriptions to electronic resources or improved technology to support student research.